Anyone heard of this blue bonnet rice Baker Creek is selling this year? i have some, but i am wondering what it is exactly. They say it is grown by the Mayans, but how long has it been here? Is it a native variety or was it introduced by the Spanish?
Although there is a plant often called wild rice, this is not the same as the Asian rice, still a grain but different genus, zizania. There is a variety of zizania native to texas however, but i think this is still a marsh plant whereas bluebonnet is an upland rice.
I pulled the husk off one to see what the seed would look like, to me it looks like a medium grain Asian rice, though exceptionally white, almost as if already polished.

Funny, i was discussing it on that seed savers forum too, more traffic there.

Baker Creek actually wrote back to me about it, they said they contract the Mennonites to grow it (there is a Mennonite community in Mexico which originally offered them the seeds) and that they, not being big on being 'scholarly' don't know the history, just that it was given to them by the Mayans. I believe it likely came from the Spanish.

It's actually not working as well for me as the plain brown rice i sprouted, not much is actually came up, whereas almost all the brown rice came up. They've both gotten heat and had been soaked in 'wonder water', good for hastening seed germination.
It sounds scary, but it's just something my mother used to make, boil water and allow to boil for 5 minutes, covered, then cool. You can pour it into a jar right away if it's a strong jar or let it cool while covered in the pot. We have no idea how it works, but it definitely makes seeds start fast, very old seeds can germinate too.
I am also starting late, started seeds in early june, i don't expect to get much of a harvest for food, but any seeds that mature early, and most grains i've seen mature some early seeds, i will collect and try to breed an earlier variety.